Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Friday evening
expressed China's deep concern over a strong earthquake that jolted
Iran's Kerman province Friday morning.
Liu said the calamity has caused heavy casualties and assets
losses.?
The Chinese government has decided to offer 5 million yuan
(US$602,000) worth of emergency aid to Iran, Liu said.
China's Red Cross has also provided US$100,000 to Iran's Red
Crescent to help cope with the mishap, the spokesman said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has sent a letter of condolences
earlier in the evening to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami
to express his sympathy and solicitude.
Hu, on behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in
his own name, expressed sympathy and solicitude for Khatami,
relatives of the victims and the people of the disaster-stricken
areas.
He also expressed the belief that the Iranian people will be
able to overcome the disaster and rebuild their homeland under the
leadership of President Khatami.
A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck
central Iran's Kerman province on Friday morning.
Although the regional interior ministry still could not confirm
the actual death toll, it was feared that several thousand people
could have been killed in the mishap.
?
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2003)